[austechwriter] Re: Perceptions in the industry
- From: "Christine Birtley-Kent" <birtley_kent@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 15:12:53 +1000
Hi Steve
Just for information, I am not responsible for the 'competencies (ie the
chapter headings and content) . These are set by government 'experts'. I
just write to something someone else has designed and try to make the most
of it. These are TAFE courses for consumption of the general public -
similar to the Cert IV in.I Workplace Assessment and Training - which whilst
being an embarrassment to any professional trainer, is now taking over as an
industry standard.
Regards, Christine
Ph: +61 7 4958 3107
Mobile: 0407 604010
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Hudson" <cruddy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 11:36 AM
Subject: [austechwriter] Re: Perceptions in the industry
> Very, very interesting stuff Chrissy. All I have is a bunch of anecdotal
> evidence to chuck into the fray, and maybe some vague thoughts :-) The
> overall feeling goes back to those "Tech writers are right next door to
> these jobs: <insert long list>". I shall be overly harsh with your content
> in order to squeeze out as much as possible:
>
> > Establish Documentation Requirements (effectively an organisational
needs
> analysis)
>
> Opinion:
>
> Doc Reqs and Org needs are two diff things. First you do an Org needs
> analysis. This give you scope. Then within this scope you purpose document
> types before detailing in the Designs reference. This latter part is doc
> reqs.
>
> Technically speaking the org needs should be completed by a BA, good TWs
are
> simple BAs as well.
>
> Anecdote:
>
> This is a toughy. Enterprises at CMM 2+ do the BA stuff at a management
> level. The Tech Pubs manager or Designer does the designs. Us TWs just
fill
> the gaps in the provided skeletons. Said Tech Pubs manager uses your book
> here, not us. Can a Tech Pubs manager be replaced by a secretary? Well,
> several large IT-centric enterprises with offices here in Aus have a
> secretary running the tech pubs dept, armed with books just like yours. In
> several instances this secretary is on 35-45 a year, and their perm staff
> under them are on 60-70.
>
> Smaller companies vary considerably. Some provide you with exact direction
> on what they expect next. As you are not managing squat, hopefully the
dudes
> in the know have your book - highly unlikely if it mentions Q though. They
> want results and are almost uniformly scared of the cost of implementing Q
> and feel the ROI aint worth it. No secretary can fill in here, unless they
> managers really are clueless and think any word collection suffices.
>
> Some are a joy, you waltz on in, they say "you're the expert - we'll leave
> it up to YOU!" in which case the first set of purchases includes your book
> :-) No secretary can fill in here. These company managers generally get
> expert and user review to judge your work as they acknowledge their
> inability to really tell. Secretaries will be sacked quickly, tech writers
> will get pay rises.
>
>
> > Manage Template Design and Development
>
>
> Opinion:
>
> This is what should be next. Your doco needs analysis above leads straight
> into this as stated above. You HAVE to have a baseline before you can
> measure it. Make thy baseline! Can a secretary design GOOD templates? No,
> but they are asked to do it all the time anyway...
>
> Anecdote:
>
> 99% of places I walk into have extremely substandard forms and templates.
> The secretaries have been tasked and have delivered.
>
>
>
> These last steps should be in this order and are hair-splitting the same
> thing.
>
> >Establish and implement Quality Assurance Strategies
> >Establish Strategy for Maintenance and Continuous Improvement.
> >Establish Quality Standards and Processes
>
> Opinion:
>
> Note what's last, not first. Develop strategies before tactics. Successful
> strategies ensure you develop a tactical advantage. What % of real world
> companies have a real Q commitment and infrastructure? 'k all.
>
>
> Anecdote:
>
> Who do they put in charge? A secretary or HR lowie. Effectiveness? A
single
> digit percentage. That having been said, universally if the doco is good
> then the Q is good and this role is fulfilled by a professional Quality
> dept.
>
> That having been said, almost everywhere I have been the people in the
know
> rapidly realise that if they get me involved in their process
re-engineering
> they get much better processes, not just prettier presentation of the same
> old poor process.
>
>
> Opinion:
>
> Last step should be
>
> Managing the documentation processes.
>
> Regular reviews for currency, filing system checks, active and passive
> feedback systems, managing change and so on. Change management should be a
> chapter on its own. This can be run by a secretary very successfully. Its
> probably scattered throughout your other chapters.
>
>
> Summary
> =======
>
> We are not secretaries. However, a good tech writer CAN be managed by a
> competent secretary. Your TAFE users are working in a TAFE. A secretary
> there is capable of and does maintain their documentation. It's very
> non-technical. A large automotive industry uses a pool of secretaries to
do
> the same, very successfully. Most real world business is not the
> high-faluted IT island in the heart of an enterprise. It is a much smaller
> and tamer thing.
>
> Imagine your local butcher deciding to expand his business to supply a
chain
> of shops. Could a good secretary help him, with the aid of your book, type
> up all the needed stuff? You betchya. Could she do the same for a S/W R&D
> company? Notta chance. A major shipping company? Yes, but badly - not
badly
> enough for anyone to complain though, they haven't seen what magic a TW
can
> really do for them.
>
> Steve Hudson
>
> Word Heretic, Sydney, Australia
> Tricky stuff with Word or words for you.
> Email: steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Products: http://www.geocities.com/word_heretic/products.html
> Spellbooks: 728 pages of dump left and dropping...
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Christine Birtley-Kent
>
> Hi Guys
>
> Over the last 12 months I have been writing course materials for TAFE
> Certificate IV and Diploma courses. I recently finished writing one
called
> 'Manage Business Document Design and Development', which involved such
> topics as:
>
> Establish Documentation Requirements (effectively an organisational needs
> analysis)
> Establish Quality Standards and Processes
> Manage Template Design and Development
> Establish and implement Quality Assurance Strategies
> Establish Strategy for Maintenance and Continuous Improvement.
>
> To my mind this is a management level course and I wrote it as such
> anticipating an audience of experienced technical writers moving to
> management level.
>
> I then decided to find out who was buying this book and what courses they
> had placed it into - in the hope that there may be a decent tech writing
> course emerging in the TAFE division (which means much cheaper than the
> Swinburne course).
>
> I found this module appearing in two courses called Diploma of
> Business Administration. [Note the word 'Admininstration'.] Following are
> the descriptions of the audience for the course that appear in their
course
> descriptions .
>
> 'This qualification is designed to produce graduates who can provide
> administrative support for professionals in the work environment. '
(Moreton
> Institute) [Note the words 'administrative support for professionals'.]
>
> 'This course provides advanced skills and a broad base of knowledge which
> can
> be applied in a range of situations in an office/clerical environment.'
> (Southbank Institute) [Note the word 'clerical'.]
>
> At no stage are technical writing skills or experience specified. The
entry
> requirements are either the Certificate IV in which you might have taken
> 'Write Complex Documents' as a module, or alternatively 'Substantial
current
> work experience within an office environment.'
>
> If we are seen as clerks, then why would we be consulted in management
> decisions?
>
> I wonder how many of us are really presenting as much more than clerks?
> (Brave assertions Mike!) Are we now so intimidated by looming
unemployment
> and so exhausted by excessive work hours and demands, that we are happy to
> fade into clerkdom if that is what the boss wants?
>
> How do we change industry perception so that we are seen as professionals,
> not administrative support?
>
> ck
>
>
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